Vacuum cleaners are in common use in virtually every household and business in the country. Such vacuum cleaners are typically employed to clean floor surfaces, as well as above floor areas such as furniture, drapes, moldings, and the like. Consumers have typically perceived that an upright cleaner is best suited for cleaning carpeted floor surfaces and rugs, while canister cleaners are better suited for the aforementioned above floor cleaning. Since many consumers find it undesirable or uneconomical to own and operate both a canister and upright cleaner, it is most desirable that a single vacuum cleaner be provided with the benefits attributed to both.
Recently, it has become popular to provide an upright vacuum cleaner with above floor cleaning attachments including, by way of example, hoses, wands, and cleaning tools such as dust brushes, furniture nozzles, and crevice tools. Tool racks have now been proposed for implementation with upright cleaners for the purpose of maintaining the requisite attachments in continual association with the upright cleaner and providing a means for storing the same when such attachments are not in use.
Presently, retail establishments insist that vacuum cleaners and the like be maintained in cartons or boxes at the point of sale and that the dimensional size of such cartons or boxes be minimal. Accordingly, upright cleaners are typically sold in cartons containing three or more primary parts including a vacuum head, a lower handle assembly, an upper handle assembly, and a dust bag, if required. The addition of attachments in the form of hoses, wands and tools, coupled with the need for a rack to receive the same, greatly complicates the task of facilitating assembly for the consumer while also accommodating separability of the rack from the remainder of the cleaner for purposes of packaging.
It is also desired that the hose and tool rack be unobtrusive and not significantly add to the dimensional size of the associated cleaner or impede its maneuverability. Accordingly, it is desired that the hose and tool rack remain substantially within an envelope defined by the size of the vacuum head or cleaner body of the cleaner itself while still providing sufficient storage capability to receive and maintain the various tools and attachments.